Grace Stark’s Story From A Devastating Leg Injury To Now Becoming A World Championship Bronze Medalist

“The ugly side of the sport is an amazing thing that we get to experience as runners. That’s the most appealing thing to me about running is just to get yourself in these pretty daunting situations, pull yourself up and march through it. Usually, it works pretty well as a larger metaphor for life.” Stephen Kersh joins the podcast. He might be familiar to a lot of people who follow the podcast since he's made a couple of appearances on the feed and also was one of the integral figures who helped start CITIUS MAG in 2017. This past weekend I was part of his crew at the Western States Endurance Run. It’s a 100-mile race from Squaw to Auburn in California. This was his first Western States and his first-ever 100-mile race and he did it in 15 hours, 54 minutes and 15 seconds to finish 7th overall. Heck of a debut. I was truly honored to be part of it. Major props to my fellow crew members Jeanne Mack, Paul Snyder, Tim Jeffreys, Ryan Sterner and the Kersh family. I sat down with Stephen on Sunday night to try and unpack the whole day. I'm joined on this episode by Tim, Ryan and Paul. Stay tuned for a thorough recap of the crewing experience by reading on CITIUSMAG.com. ❤️ Support for this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast comes from The Rambling Runner's Road to the Olympic Trials. Get ready for Matt Chittim to peel back the curtain on the training from the likes of Jared Ward, Kellyn Taylor, Parker Stinson, Sarah Bishop and more. First episode out on July 8th. How to subscribe and listen: http://citiusmag.com/road-to-the-olympic-trials-podcast/ Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2XMFoBf Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2RRCndK ✩ Stephen Kersh on Instagram: instagram.com/StephenKersh ▶ Follow us: twitter.com/CitiusMag instagram.com/citiusmag facebook.com/citiusmag ✩ Connect with Chris twitter.com/ChrisChavez instagram.com/chris_j_chavez 📷 Ryan Sterner: instagram.com/ryan_sterner 👔Biz Inquiries/Write Us: chris@citiusmag.com

3 Juli 20191h 21min

Remembering Gabriele Grunewald What you’ll hear on this episode is audio from April 2017. Bear with me if the audio quality from the call wasn’t the best. It was from an interview with Gabe about her life that I never got around to using. I had this recording on my phone for two years. I listened to it for the first time recently and jotted down notes. Gabe shared a lot of her life story with me. It was awesome to hear and in retrospect, the amount of hope and bravery that she had as we talked and she faced her latest cancer battle, was something that never changed with her. Initially, I wasn’t planning to release this audio but after talking to several people at the memorial run in New York who wanted to hear it when I mentioned some tidbits from it, I figured it would be best to share with everyone. ✍ Show Notes Sports Illustrated: Athlete gets cancer. Athlete fights cancer. Repeat, again and again... https://www.si.com/more-sports/2017/07/10/gabriele-grunewald-cancer-fight-runner Sports Illustrated obituary for Gabe Grunewald: https://www.si.com/olympics/2019/06/11/gabe-grunewald-runner-cancer-battle-inspiration ❤️ SUPPORT: Please consider donating to the Brave Like Gabe Foundation, where all proceeds go toward supporting rare cancer research centers like including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Go to https://BraveLikeGabe.org for more information. ▶ Follow us: twitter.com/CitiusMag instagram.com/citiusmag facebook.com/citiusmag ✩ Connect with Chris twitter.com/ChrisChavez instagram.com/chris_j_chavez 👔Biz Inquiries/Write Us: chris@citiusmag.com

20 Juni 20191h 4min

Finally! We have posted the LIVE episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast from Ben Weingart's '50 Meters with Tinman Elite' photo exhibit in April. Last year, he followed the Boulder-based running crew in their first year as a professional team. He was on-hand to capture behind the scenes training and racing stories from Bouler to Des Moines. I know this is a podcast but you can see all of his photos here: https://www.tinmanelite.com/tin-talks/2019/6/1/50-meters-with-tinman-elite On this show, we discussed his creative process and dive into Ben's own running history. In his own reflection, he writes: "I used to think that we were going to change running—but now I believe it." He explains some of that on this episode as well. You can follow Ben on Instagram here: https://instagram.com/benjaminweingart ❤️ SUPPORT US Donate to the CITIUS MAG Patreon so that we can continue to bring you interesting podcasts across all our different shows. Any dollar amount helps us keep going. https://www.patreon.com/citiusmag 🎥 TRAILER TO OUR NEW DOCUMENTARY: http://citiusmag.com/tsp/ ▶ Follow us: twitter.com/CitiusMag instagram.com/citiusmag facebook.com/citiusmag ✩ Connect with Chris twitter.com/ChrisChavez instagram.com/chris_j_chavez 👔Biz Inquiries/Write Us: chris@citiusmag.com

7 Juni 201929min

Mary Cain joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast to share where she's been for the past 2.5 years. Cain's name recently popped up atop the results of the New York Road Runners Japan Run 4-Miler in Central Park on May 12th and it was her first race finish in more than 900 days. Cain's name was a major one in the sport back in 2013. As a high school star out of Bronxville, New York, she set high school record after high school record – 1:59.51 for 800; 4:04:62 for 1,500 and 4:24 for the mile. She finished second at the 2013 U.S. Outdoor Championships 1,500 meters and then went on to place 10th at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow. She opted to bypass the traditional NCAA system and turned professional before her senior year of high school. Upon completing her high school degree, she moved to Portland, Ore. to train with the Nike Oregon Project under coach Alberto Salazar. What happened next? Cain opens up about her year in Portland and why she ultimately made the decision to move back to New York City in 2016. She details the list of injuries that have plagued her from following through on the expectations that many had for her. However, she's just 23 years old. Everyone likes a good comeback story and Cain is a believer that she's writing her own. She recently made an appearance in a video of a training stint in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., so we discuss why her form looks so bad in that video but more importantly, why she left that trip with a better perspective on the sport. We work our way back to 2013 and follow her career path until the present day. Plus, Cain shares what she would write in a 'Letter to her younger self' A lot to unpack on this episode of THE CITIUS MAG Podcast with Chris Chavez ✍ SHOW NOTES Mammoth video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2yG_xH91lw Here Comes Mary Cain - Sports Illustrated: https://www.si.com/vault/2013/07/01/106339912/here-comes-mary-cain ❤️SPONSOR Support for the CITIUS MAG Podcast comes from SOAR RUNNING. Get familiar with one of the finest and newest running apparel companies deep into running culture. The company’s focus is on the best quality technical fabric for the common, everyday runner. There’s something available for men and for women. Support the brand, support the podcast. Check them out today: www.soarrunning.com/ Follow them on Instagram: www.instagram.com/soar_running/ I’m a fan of the Elite Tempo Top 2.0. It is super lightweight with 3d textured woven fabric. Designed to go fast. https://www.soarrunning.com/product/elite-tempo-top-20?colour=122 ▶ Follow us: twitter.com/CitiusMag instagram.com/citiusmag facebook.com/citiusmag ▶ Follow Chris twitter.com/ChrisChavez instagram.com/chris_j_chavez 👔Biz Inquiries/Write Us: chris@citiusmag.com 👕LEGS ARE FEELIN’ GOOD MERCH: T-shirt: https://www.redbubble.com/people/chrischavez/works/34086922-legs-are-feelin-good?p=t-shirt Mugs: https://www.redbubble.com/people/chrischavez/works/33538744-legs-are-feelin-good?p=mug

21 Maj 20191h 20min

Mike Marsella of the Boston Athletic Association joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast. You might now know the name yet but you'll definitely enjoy his story. It starts with being struck with paralysis while in the 9th grade, which required surgery and rehab. He was fortunate enough to walk and then run at a high level. He was a member of a 4 x mile high school record-setting team and then earned a scholarship to the University of Virginia. In 2013, Marsella was struck by a car while driving a moped with a teammate. Marsella was in a coma for four days and was unable to remember anything when he woke up. He had a hard time remembering and comprehending things until about two weeks after the accident. He slowly started his recovery process and stayed with his mother in a local hotel until he was finally able to rejoin the team in the fall of 2013. Initially, he struggled. Who wouldn't after that traumatic of an injury? He explains what turned things around for him and how he was able to run 3:59:97 by January 2015. All of that sounds great until he was hit with mononucleosis in the fall of 2015. He returned for the indoor and outdoor seasons in 2016 but then had his 2017 indoor and outdoor campaigns derailed by stress fractures. After much thought and consideration, he returned to Virginia for the 2017-18 season and a sixth year. He ended up making the 2018 NCAA final in the 1,500 meters and decided to finally give the professional ranks a shot. He got an opportunity with the BAA and then finished 5th at the USATF Indoor Championships Mile in February. You'll learn Mike and his whole story on this episode of The CITIUS MAG Podcast. ✍ SHOW NOTES Perseverance Pays Off for Marsella https://virginiasports.com/news/2018/6/6/Perseverance_Pays_Off_for_Marsella.aspx Future 'Double-Hoo' Overcomes Brain Injury to Beat 4-Minute Mile https://news.virginia.edu/content/class-2018-future-double-hoo-overcomes-brain-injury-beat-4-minute-mile ❤️SPONSOR Support for the CITIUS MAG Podcast comes from SOAR RUNNING. Get familiar with one of the finest and newest running apparel companies deep into running culture. The company’s focus is on the best quality technical fabric for the common, everyday runner. There’s something available for men and for women. Support the brand, support the podcast. Check them out today: www.soarrunning.com/ Follow them on Instagram: www.instagram.com/soar_running/ I’m a fan of the Elite Tempo Top 2.0. It is super lightweight with 3d textured woven fabric. Designed to go fast. https://www.soarrunning.com/product/elite-tempo-top-20?colour=122 ▶ Follow us: https://twitter.com/CitiusMag https://instagram.com/citiusmag https://facebook.com/citiusmag ▶ Follow Chris https://twitter.com/ChrisChavez https://instagram.com/chris_j_chavez 👔Biz Inquiries/Write Us: chris@citiusmag.com 📷Kevin Morris: @kevmofoto 👕LEGS ARE FEELIN’ GOOD MERCH: T-shirt: https://www.redbubble.com/people/chrischavez/works/34086922-legs-are-feelin-good?p=t-shirt Mugs: https://www.redbubble.com/people/chrischavez/works/33538744-legs-are-feelin-good?p=mug

17 Maj 20191h

Real run junkies will love this episode. Ryan Fenton joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast to discuss how he went from being Flotrack’s first employee in the running division to the director of global rights acquisitions and partnerships for FloSports. From 2008 to 2013, Ryan was at the heart of Flotrack’s daily digital content. Whether it was recurring video series like Run Junkie or calling high school, college and professional meets on a weekly basis, Ryan helped build Flotrack into one of the go-to media sites for running coverage. In 2012, he gave me a shot as a contributor, which led to three very awesome years where I worked alongside him, Alex Lohr and Mitch Kastoff to keep growing. I owe a lot to Ryan for his help in guiding me through the sport. On this episode, we’ll explore how he discovered Flotrack, what made him leave his job and believe in Mark Floreani’s startup site, what he loved about covering the sport, calling Chris Solinsky’s 10K American record, advice for young people wanting to get into the track media landscape and much more. Plus, what’s he been up to in his new role over the past two years? All that and more on the latest episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Support for the CITIUS MAG Podcast comes from SOAR RUNNING. Get familiar with one of the finest and newest running apparel companies deep into running culture. The company’s focus is on the best quality technical fabric for the common, everyday runner. There’s something available for men and for women. Support the brand, support the podcast. Check them out today: https://www.soarrunning.com/ Follow them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soar_running/ I’m a fan of the Elite Tempo Top 2.0. It is super lightweight with 3d textured woven fabric. Designed to go fast. https://www.soarrunning.com/product/elite-tempo-top-20?colour=122 Follow us: https://twitter.com/CitiusMag https://instagram.com/citiusmag https://facebook.com/citiusmag Follow Chris https://twitter.com/ChrisChavez https://instagram.com/chris_j_chavez Email us: chris@citiusmag.com

7 Maj 20191h 9min

Northern Arizona Elite’s Scott Fauble joins CITIUS MAG Podcast for the third time. Wow. Fauble was the top American at the 2019 Boston Marathon, where he notched a big personal best of 2:09. His PR going into the race was a 2:12:28 from his seventh-place finish at the 2018 New York City Marathon. Fauble was leading the race with four miles to go and on this episode, he’ll take you through his internal thoughts as he’s surrounded by a handful of 2:04 East Africans. Did he think he could win? What was it like when they decided to break away? He puts us in his shoes. He also dives into his training for the race, which included a monster 16-mile workout at Sunset Crater in Arizona. How that gave him the confidence and sign that he was ready for a major breakthrough. With him finally running under 2:10, have the haters been silenced? He responds to the criticism from the LetsRun message boards regarding his last appearance on the podcast and those who defined “good” as a fast time. Plus: With the 2020 U.S, Olympic Trials looming, what are his plans for the fall? All that and more on the latest episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Support for the CITIUS MAG Podcast comes from SOAR RUNNING. Get familiar with one of the finest and newest running apparel companies deep into the running culture. The company’s focus is on the best quality technical fabric for the common, everyday runner. There’s something available for men and for women. Support the brand, support the podcast. Check them out today: https://www.soarrunning.com/ Follow them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soar_running/ I’m a fan of the Elite Tempo Top 2.0. It is super lightweight with 3d textured woven fabric. Designed to go fast. https://www.soarrunning.com/product/elite-tempo-top-20?colour=122

3 Maj 201952min

Jordan Hasay joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast after finishing third at the 2019 Boston Marathon in 2:25:20. That's three major marathons in her career and three third place finishes. This year's race marked her first marathon since the 2017 Chicago Marathon, where she ran 2:20:57 to become the second-fastest marathoner in U.S. history. We discuss what it was like to comeback from a whole year being sidelined by injury. She takes us through her training which included two to three 25-mile long runs; a 20-miler at 5:40 pace and some 200s that got down to 32 seconds. Speed work for a marathon! She shares some insight into coach Alberto Salazar's training philosophy, which sometimes includes surprises at the end of workouts. We touch on her plans to attack Deena Kastor's American record of 2:19:36 at the Chicago Marathon in October; an early preview of the 2020 U.S. Olympic marathon Trials; battling the disappointment of missing the 2016 U.S. Olympic team and the decision to move to the roads. Jordan was particularly excited about the final questions that we ask every guest so stay put for her funniest drug testing story and whether or not she would take the 25 shots for $25 million. This was one of our best interviews yet. Apologies for some minor sound issues while recording. ------ Support for the CITIUS MAG Podcast comes from SOAR RUNNING. Get familiar with the one of the finest and newest running apparel companies deep into the running culture. The company’s focus is on the best quality technical fabric for the common, everyday runner. There’s something available for men and for women. Support the brand, support the podcast. Check them out today: www.soarrunning.com/ Follow them on Instagram: www.instagram.com/soar_running/ My favorite items: The Elite Tempo Top 2.0. It is super lightweight with 3d textured woven fabric. Designed to go fast. https://www.soarrunning.com/product/elite-tempo-top-20?colour=122 Elite Speed Shorts. Perfect for sprints and tempo runs: https://www.soarrunning.com/product/elite-speed-shorts?colour=112 Contact Chris: Twitter: @ChrisChavez Instagram: @Chris_J_Chavez Email: chris@citiusmag.com Photos for the podcast provided by Ryan Sterner and Kevin Morris.

25 Apr 20191h 5min